


A Charade of Feelings

by heronwritingx



Category: Total Drama (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-15
Updated: 2020-08-13
Packaged: 2021-03-05 06:20:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,724
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25279924
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heronwritingx/pseuds/heronwritingx
Summary: Aleheather high school au. Fake dating. Alejandro and Heather hate one another but to get revenge on his brother and to get Heather out of an unpleasant situation, they start a fake relationship. They soon begin to learn much more about each other and maybe, those feelings of hate become something more.
Relationships: Alejandro Burromuerto/Heather, Lindsay/Tyler (Total Drama)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 51





	1. Chapter 1

Heather scoffed and almost clicked in his face as she sat across from him, the young man across the booth from her was the one who’d invited her and here he was flirting with the waitress! Alejandro was just trying to get his order made just the way he liked it, and knew the waitress was the weak type to fall for his tricks, she always did. He smiled innocently as she fluttered away, turning his attention back to the reason he was seated there.

“So, why’d you invite me here?” she questioned, her eyes narrowed, and her arms folded.

She leaned back into the plush booth seat and crossed her legs under the table, she couldn’t stand being sat so close to him. Alejandro was her biggest rival, after all. They were always vying for the top spot on exams, in popularity and god forbid if she got stuck as his queen again at another school dance she’d riot. She hated him. She hated his smug attitude and his stupid smirk when he’d won against her. She absolutely hated Alejandro Burromeurto.

“I want us to date.” He said simply, not taking his eyes off of her.

If she had a drink, she would have spat it at him. 

“Excuse you?” She went to raise her voice, but he shook his head, noticing her fists tighten up.

“Fake date. I don’t actually want to date you.” He continued, almost rolling his eyes.

She wouldn’t deny it, he had piqued her curiosity. This didn’t seem like a stunt or move Alejandro would usually pull. After all, he could easily find himself a girlfriend if he wanted. He was the most popular guy in their junior year. 

“Why?” she asked simply, her curiosity getting the better of her. 

“To put it bluntly, my elder brother enjoys stealing the attention of girls I want. I want to get back at him and you’re the only girl in that entire school who won’t fall for him.” Alejandro answered.

“So basically, you want to use me to reject your brother.” She said, scoffing, “A little pathetic, don’t you think? Why would I want to be caught up in some lame family drama I’m not even a part of?”

“It’s simple, you’ll benefit from this too.” He retorted, looking disinterested in arguing with her.

“And how the hell would that happen?” She snapped at him, “Don’t be ridiculous, there’s no way I’d play along with this stupid idea!”

Alejandro raised an eyebrow at her, and she huffed, what the hell could she want out of this? More importantly though, what the hell did he know about her? He wouldn’t approach her without them both gaining something from this arrangement and Heather almost punched the table when she realised what he’d uncovered about her. She shifted her eyes away from him for a moment and he noticed her entire body tense up. He’d found out her darkest secret, after all. 

“How’d you find out that?” She asked, this time her voice a bit softer. 

She was vulnerable now and this was where he needed her to be most. Alejandro remembered it clearly, he’d been running an errand for one of his teacher’s, so he’d be more favourable in the man’s eyes when he’d seen them. Heather and one of the Biology teachers alone in the labs. He’d never seen her look so scared before and the scene made him sick to his stomach, how the man touched her, he wanted to throw up just thinking about it. 

“I happened to walk by one day. I knew I couldn’t stop him myself, so I sent another teacher down.” Alejandro told her, watching her carefully.

“Well, don’t expect a thank you! I was handling it, obviously...” She retorted, still unable to let her guard down around him. 

She was horrified he’d seen them, but she couldn’t act that way, she was just trying to forget it had ever even happened. He couldn’t see her as weak or vulnerable, she wouldn’t let him know how much it scared her and how it kept her awake at night. She just wanted to blank the horrible experience from her memory, she’d never felt so powerless ever in her entire life. It was already distracting her from the conversation at hand and she needed to focus! She needed to be the one in control of this situation, not him! So, she pinched her leg under the table to snap her back to reality and turned back to look him dead in the eye. 

“So, basically, you’ll keep the creep away from me if I pretend to date you.” She said.

“If that’s what you want, then yes.” Alejandro nodded.

Now, Heather was tempted. Not only to keep her disgusting teacher’s hands off her, but also this meant that she’d finally get close to her enemy and be able to drag him down. She’d use this opportunity to become number one! She wasn’t stupid though; she knew he was thinking of the exact same thing. They both knew to keep their friends close but their enemies closer.

“Fine, on one condition,” Heather took a breath as she made damn sure their eyes were locked together, “if one of us, and I’ll include myself even though it’s never going to happen, just happens to get feelings for the other, we end things.”

“Of course, though as doubtful as you are, my charm may just win you over one day.” He retorted with a sly grin.

“Don’t be disgusting.” She scoffed, rolling her eyes, “Do we have a deal or not? We fake date as long as our feelings for one another stay the same.”

“We have a deal.” He reached out and shook her hand, Heather reluctantly agreeing to the handshake.

And so, the two rivals began their fake relationship. Heather didn’t even flinch when Alejandro draped his arm around her come Monday morning in the school hall and chatted casually to her as if they were a real couple. They caught a few eyes and attention from the other students, as their rivalry was well known, but they pretended to ignore it. Well, Alejandro did, he could just see on Heather’s face how much she wasn’t enjoying it. 

His plan was already in motion, after all, he had no reason to be annoyed at the attention he was being given. All he needed to do now was walk by Jose and catch his attention, letting his awful older brother know that he’d managed to get himself a cute girlfriend that he couldn’t win over. Then, when Jose inevitably attempts to take Heather from him, she’d reject his horrible brother and Alejandro would leave this situation finally triumphing over his brother. Lastly, all he had to do was keep up the façade until Jose graduated and he and Heather would have “a mutual break up” over the summer and end this farce of a relationship. There was absolutely no way this plan could go wrong, Alejandro could never actually fall for her, she was his rival and that was it.


	2. A double date?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Heather's lack of participation makes many doubt the pair are an actual couple, so Alejandro devising a plan to use their friends Lindsay and Tyler to spread the word. This involves a double date, something Heather absolutely wants nothing to do with. Through the double date though, Alejandro begins to learn that maybe Heather's hiding more than initially thought.

It had been an entire week since their plot to fake date had started, and Heather was having trouble adjusting to her new “boyfriend”. She didn’t like Alejandro; she couldn’t stand him so suddenly having him around was not pleasant. It was causing issues though, Heather’s obvious distaste for him made many sceptical of their relationship and Alejandro couldn’t have anyone realise they weren’t actually together. He’d never hear the end of it if Jose found out, so he had to step up and make sure everyone believed that they were a real couple.

“Why are you here?” Heather muttered as Alejandro and Tyler walked over to her table.

She sat with Lindsay, her closest friend who’d been with her since they were kids, and she watched as the girl’s eyes lit up as soon as she saw Tyler walking towards them. Tyler and Lindsay had been dating since they were fourteen and were practically inseparable. Even though Heather thought he was a complete moron but made Lindsay incredibly happy, so she didn’t hate him – as long as he didn’t hurt, that is.

“Tyler here had a genius idea.” Alejandro said, gesturing to his friend for him to speak.

“I did?” Tyler blinked in confusion.

“You did, a double…date, remember?” Alejandro prompted him. 

“Like hell—” 

“Oh my god! That’ll be so much fun!” Lindsay squealed, grabbing Heather’s arm and catching her by surprise, “We can get ready together too!” 

Heather just groaned, there was no way she was getting out of this now. Lindsay was too excited and while she could just say no to her but then she’d have to deal with Lindsay’s cry baby antics, and it was easier just to play along some days. She muttered a regretful yes and the two boys joined them for the rest of lunch, Heather having to begrudging listen in while this double date idea was formulated and planned. She didn’t have any input and even zone out for some time, her attention more focused on her phone than the three people around her.

Later, when in biology and sitting next to him, Heather couldn’t control the unhappy grimace she wore. It was the only class they were together in and the only class they had to act like a couple in, as ever since their relationship had been announced, her creep of a teacher had been leaving her alone. She was however still incredibly unimpressed by the idea of the double date, even if it was with Lindsay and Tyler. She didn’t particularly see why they had to act more like a couple, she didn’t care if people they were really together or not! 

“What the hell was that? Why would you agree to something so stupid?” She snapped quietly at him, “Like I’d really want to spend my weekend off with you of all people!”

“I wouldn’t have to create such a stupid scheme if you actually kept to our deal and acted like my girlfriend.” Alejandro retorted, rolling his eyes, “Really, if anyone is to blame for this date, it’s you.”

“Shut up.” She scoffed.

“Besides, it’ll be fun. You’re competitive, you’ll enjoy it.” He told her, a coy smile on his lips.

“Huh?” Heather looked confused for a moment; she wasn’t aware they’d even made a decision on where they were going. 

And that was how Heather ended up in one of the bowling alleys in her city. The only problem was that Heather was not a bowling person. She didn’t go bowling. She didn’t wear the gross shoes and she didn’t stick her fingers in those filthy holes in the stupidly heavy bowling balls. Yet due to her carelessness, there she was sat beside Alejandro, who was disgustingly competitive like herself, with Tyler and Lindsay across from them. If she’ actually been paying attention when they were discussing this plan, Heather would never have had agreed to bowling. She assumed Alejandro would agree with her in the fact that it was disgusting, but no, he probably agreed out of sheer spite. He definitely did this because he knew she’d hate it, that had to be the reason!

“Oh, lighten up, this could be fun.” Alejandro teased her.

“I didn’t agree to stupid dates or bowling!” Heather snapped at him.

“You actually did, you just weren’t paying attention.” Alejandro retorted.

“Ugh, whatever!” Heather huffed, crossing her arms.

“I don’t know why you’re so upset,” A slight smirk formed on his lips and he touched her chin, “I thought you’d see this as some sort of competition.”

She let out an annoyed groan and smacked his hand away, he was the worst sometimes! He had a point though; this did give her an opportunity to destroy Alejandro at something. They were basically tied up in their scores from all their previous competitions, this could push her into the lead! The only problem was that she had no idea how to bowl, she’d never thought she’d find herself in a bowling alley. She was ready to make some sort of snappy comeback at him when he shook his head, pointing to Lindsay and Tyler who were making their way over to them with drinks in hand and bowling shoes ready to be worn. 

“So, we’ll play in teams, yeah?” Tyler said, surprising both Alejandro and Heather.

“Teams?” Heather and Alejandro replied, both blinking in confusion.

“Yeah, us against you. Linds and I won’t hold back either.” Tyler grinned, sounding way too confident for his level of intelligence.

“Teams…” Heather muttered; her eyes widening – how the hell was she meant to beat Alejandro if they were on the same damn team! 

Now, Alejandro wouldn’t lie, he was also looking forward to utterly crushing her at bowling, but he also wasn’t completely opposed to the team’s idea. It surprised him, yes, but he could make this work. Lindsay and Tyler were key to getting everyone to believe that they were a real couple. Alejandro’s closest friends were sceptical, and he could only imagine some of her friends were also feeling the same way, their rivalry was too strong, and it couldn’t have just magically disappeared! If this date went successfully, there was every chance Tyler or Lindsay would blab to the others about it and those who were sceptical would likely believe two people so pure and truthful. 

“That’s a great idea!” Alejandro agreed, his fake smarmy smile bugging Heather.

He was the one to input their names into the machine and get the game started, Heather grumbling as she sat there on her phone. Lindsay had even chosen to sit beside Tyler and was giggling and flirting with him, so the only option she had was to converse with her fake boyfriend.

“It’s your go.” Alejandro told her, “The pink ones are the lighter ones if those ones I used are too heavy.”

“I’ll be fine…” Heather muttered.

She stood up and reluctantly picked up one of the aforementioned orange bowling balls Alejandro used, and unfortunately, he was right – they were incredibly heavy. She grimaced and with a shaking hand because she really refused to give up, Heather attempted to bowl her first round which…ended horribly. The bowling ball curved straight into the gutter and she missed every pin, causing Tyler to burst out laughing and even Lindsay started to giggle.

“Who’d have thought you’d be bad at something.” Tyler said, he was just teasing her, but Heather was even more pissed off.

“Pfft…” Alejandro turned away as he tried not to laugh.

“Sh-Shut up! I’ve never done this before!” She shouted, “You’re such an asshole sometimes!”

She balled her fists up and to calm her rage, Alejandro let out a deep sigh and stood up. He picked up one of the lighter pink bowling balls and couldn’t look her in the eye for a moment, still holding back his laughter. She looked so embarrassed; he’d even say she looked cute. Her cheeks had flushed pink and her face was scrunched up, Alejandro had never seen such an expression on her before and he hated that he couldn’t stop thinking about how utterly adorable it was. 

“I’ll show you how to do it then. We can’t have our team losing, after all.” He said, composing his thoughts once more.

“I told you to shut up…” Heather glowered, ready to slap him.

“I, personally, would like to be the winning team and for that to happen, you need to not be terrible at this.” He said to her as he led her to stand just before the lane, “Firstly, you have to hold it like this,” 

He handed her the bowling ball and guided her hand along it, showing her how to hold it in her fingers before letting her do it herself, his hand now atop of hers, “then you bowl like this.”

He turned her to face the pins and kept one hand on her waist, the other guiding her on how to aim the bowl. Heather did as he said and while she didn’t suddenly become a master, she did knock three pins down. Her face was hot though, his hand was still sitting nicely on her waist and she definitely heard Lindsay giggle about how cute they were together. Heather almost slapped his hand away, but she had to stop herself, they were meant to be like this, she couldn’t make anyone think they weren’t together.

“Thank you…” She muttered under her breath, “I guess…”

“Hm?” Alejandro blinked.

“Nothing! I can do it myself now!” She snapped back at him.

Alejandro just rolled his eyes and stepped back, though he didn’t miss her red cheeks and annoyed expression. He knew as fun as it would be to mess with her in this moment, it would only lead to more trouble for him down the line and he couldn’t have her accidentally reveal their relationship was fake. Lindsay and Tyler both completed their next round of bowling and they continued back and forth, Heather grimacing as she noticed her actual couple friends get closer and closer while she and Alejandro only (not so secretly) grew more competitive and their want to win increased. Hell, Alejandro alone had scored a strike every round bar his first, and he’d said he’d never really bowled before! 

“We’re in the lead now.” Alejandro said, thanks in most part to his stupidly good skills.

“I know that…” Heather replied, sounding distant.

“You want to win, don’t you?” He asked, looking curious.

“Obviously.” She rolled her eyes, “What’s with you?”

“Then why do you look like that?” He questioned, frowning.

Heather didn’t seem all that happy to be there, nor was she really participating. She’d bowl when she had too and she’d chat to Lindsay when Lindsay wasn’t being distracted by Tyler, but aside from that, she just sat there glued to her phone. She was texting someone like crazy, but Alejandro wasn’t going to ask her, so he just left her alone. She wasn’t particularly helping him set the idea that they were together though!

“It’s nothing. This is just boring.” She retorted, scoffing.

“Only because you’re not choosing to participate.” He answered back.

“God, why are you pestering me so much? It’s annoying.” Heather snapped at him, though this time it was different from her usual snapping. It was much more serious and threatening, he’d definitely touched a nerve with this one.

Before he could even begin to answer her, her phone began to ring, and she let out an annoyed groan. He’d captured a glance of the screen and it was only her mother, but Heather stood up and stomped away, answering the phone with a blunt and rude “What?”. Lindsay glanced up at Alejandro and smiled gently, moving to sit beside him.

“You look worried.” Lindsay said.

“Hm?” Alejandro turned to face her properly, noticing it was Tyler’s turn to bowl.

“I was surprised when Heather said she was dating you, she’s not really someone who lets people close to her.” His eyes widened as Lindsay spoke to him, he’d always assumed she was a ditsy blonde who didn’t pay much attention to her surroundings, but she sounded…so genuine and serious. 

“Is that so?” Alejandro raised both eyebrows, his curiosity piqued.

“As her friend, it’s my duty to tell you there’ll be hell to pay if you hurt her.” Lindsay grinned, punching his arm rather cutely, even Tyler noticed it. 

“But I didn’t…” Why was he defending himself over his fake girlfriend? Who was known for constantly being in a bad mood!

“But you did! So, you better go fix it.” Lindsay told him, pointing towards the door.

“Fine…” Alejandro muttered.

He stood up and almost groaned, now that he had to play to the role of the apologetic boyfriend, he wasn’t thrilled about the fake dating idea. He wandered outside to find Heather leaning against the building, her phone to her ear and an expression he’d never seen on her face before. 

“Whatever, it’s fine! I don’t really care if you don’t come back yet! It’s always the god damn same with you!” He overheard Heather say and she sounded more hurt than he’d ever heard.

She was talking to her mother, right? That’s the name he saw on the phone screen when it lit up. 

“I said I get it! Ugh!” Heather shouted into the phone and she hung up, stomping her foot. 

Alejandro made his presence known by walking around the corner and catching her attention, Heather quickly having to regain whatever composure she had left. She scowled and crossed her arms, turning her head away for a moment so he didn’t see her sadder expressions. She couldn’t and wouldn’t look vulnerable in front of him! 

“Following me now?” She snapped at him, “That’s just creepy.”

“Lindsay sent me, honestly.” He held his hands up in defence, “She thinks I upset you, she even threatened me. That’s the only reason I’m here.”

“Sounds about right…” Heather muttered.

He stood beside her and leaned against the concrete wall, a sigh slipping through his lips as he looked up at the night sky. 

“If you really didn’t want to come this badly, you should have just said so.” He said, “You did agree to this.”

“We’re meant to be acting like a real couple and everyone at school is suspicious.” She grumbled back, keeping her arms folded and her body language made her even more stand-offish, “We made a deal, didn’t we?”

“You look miserable. It’s not exactly helping our cause,” Alejandro retorted, “if we were with anyone else, this whole façade would already be over.”

“Whatever…” Heather muttered, “You should’ve just asked someone else…”

She huffed and Alejandro wasn’t quite sure what to do, he’d never seen her so downtrodden before. He knew he wouldn’t get an answer out of her if he asked her what was going on, there was no way she’d ever open up to him. This fake dating scheme was meant to be professional; he didn’t need to know what her issues were, all he needed to do was pretend to be her boyfriend when it was needed. He should’ve just walked back inside and made up an excuse but for some reason, he couldn’t leave her outside alone. 

“I couldn’t just ask someone else; there’s a reason I chose you.” He said. 

“Gross...” She grumbled, shooting him a disgusted look.

“Not like that.” Alejandro shot her back an annoyed look and Heather poked her tongue out at him rather childishly.

“I already know, it’s because I won’t end up liking your brother, sheesh.” She scoffed, “It’s pretty childish, if you ask me. Just some petty sibling rivalry.”

“Don’t talk about things you would never understand.” He told her. 

Heather’s eyes widened for a moment; she’d definitely pushed a nerve there. There was something scary about his voice and he must have realised it too, so he took a deep breath to calm himself down. Heather had seen Alejandro’s brother around school before, she was sure they’d spoken but he was a senior and she was still a sophomore. Alejandro was different when he talked about his brother though and she could tell it was a lot more than surface level sibling issues like she had with her own older siblings – this was something completely new to her. 

“Well, if he’s absolutely anything like you, then I’ll never fall for him, ever.” Heather said, huffing.

“That’s my entire plan.” He answered. 

She smiled at him a little and Alejandro would never admit it, not even to himself, that his heart managed to skip a beat. It was a genuine smile; one he’d never seen and one he’d never thought he’d ever receive from her. 

“We should head back inside; it’s been some time. They’ll probably think we’re still fighting.” Alejandro said, trying to redirect his thoughts.

“Ugh, yeah, fine.” Heather muttered.

Her phone began to ring again though and she let it ring, shoving it back into her handbag. 

“Are you going to answer it?” He asked. 

“No, it’s just my mom. She’s away on a business trip and won’t be back until next week now, so she’s calling me out of guilt.” Heather rolled her eyes.

It was later that night and the dreaded bowling double date had ended (which they’d totally won) and Alejandro was stopped outside Heather’s home, where he’d picked her up from to make them seem like they were in fact a real couple. Her lights were all completely off and Alejandro was surprised but didn’t mention it. Heather grimaced 

“I’ll try harder,” Heather said, catching his attention.

“Hm?” Alejandro blinked.

“At this stupid fake dating thing, you idiot!” She snapped before letting out an annoyed groan, “No one is going to believe it if I keep acting like I hate you, which I do. So, I’ll try harder.”

“For me?” He still sounded a little confused. 

“No, you dunce, for me. That creep has been leaving me alone ever since you stuck yourself next to me.” She retorted, rolling her eyes, “Anyway, tonight wasn’t as terrible as I thought it would be.”

They’d all noticed that once the duo had re-entered the bowling alley after their talk, Heather had cheered up a little and actively participated though she still hated the entire concept of bowling.

“Good night, Alejandro.” She pushed open his car door and gave him a pathetic wave goodbye.

“Good night, Heather.” He replied simply. 

He waited until she was inside as it was the gentlemanly thing to do, he also considered walking her to her door, but he knew she’d cause a fuss about it – go on about how she didn’t need him to take care of her or whatever. Then, when it was clear she was inside and safe, he drove off, unable to stop thinking about that smile that caused his heart to move like it had never before.


	3. Missing Homework

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alejandro discovers the lengths some people will go to to mess with Heather, and he does his best to help her as per their deal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for the hits and kudos! This is my first fic ever posted on here and it means so much! Please enjoy chapter 3!

Heather tapped her pen and chewed on her bottom lip as she sat beside Alejandro in their regular Biology class, it was the one class he had with her where her usually snappy, mean attitude was non-existent. She was quiet and tended to keep her head down and her attention as far from that disgusting teacher as she could. He’d never seen Heather intimidated or scared, he didn’t know she even could feel that way but for that hour or so she spent in that man’s classroom, her body remained tense.

Alejandro could do nothing but watch, eh couldn’t say anything in class and he didn’t dare to say anything to her outside of class either. 

“It’s time to return the previous homework assignments and discuss the answers,” 

He felt it too. He saw her eyes. He’d never seen her look so scared. Her body went straight and stiff and for just a moment, she didn’t breathe. 

Alejandro watched as every student received a piece of paper, even himself, but her. He thought something like this would happen soon. The man wasn’t going to give up, even if she was taken. Alejandro quietly slipped a copy of her homework from his book and placed it on her desk.

“It seems, Heather,” she had to stop herself from reacting, “you didn’t hand in your copy.”

“It’s right here.” Alejandro spoke up, her shoulders were trembling, and her voice would’ve cracked if she tried to spoke, “It seems she didn’t forget.”

Her eyes widened and Alejandro didn’t seem smug or like he was trying to one-up her, she genuinely thought he was trying to help her. She didn’t like that she had to rely on him to help her, but she’d take it right now. She could not be left alone with that man and Alejandro wasn’t going to let her be. 

“It seems…I must have made a mistake.” The man spoke through gritted teeth and Alejandro smirked in victory.

After that, the lesson continued on as one would think it would. Heather, however, spent the time just trying to calm herself down. For that moment, her heart stopped. Every horrid memory she had flooded back and overwhelmed her. Her breath was staggered and sharp and she did everything she possibly could to maintain composure. HE would not break her. 

Not now. Not ever.

She let out a deep sigh of relief and while acting as though she was fine, she’d never moved so fast to get out of that classroom. Hell, she even forced herself to skip the next class. She couldn’t concrete, she wouldn’t be able to focus on anything else. She had to calm herself down properly, she needed to be completely out of that school.

However, she shouldn’t have been surprised that Alejandro followed her and called her name. She didn’t want to see him, let alone thank him for helping her. She was embarrassed he even had too!

“Will you quit following me!?” Heather finally snapped, flinging around.

“Is that how you’re going to act after I helped you?” He retorted, folding his arms.

“I didn’t ask you to help me! I don’t need your help!” She yelled.

“That was our deal,” He said, sighing a little, “You help me with Jose, and I help you with him.”

She flung back around, and he didn’t know what she was thinking and Heather sure as hell wasn’t going to let him see her eyes water. It was humiliating. She was being controlled by such a sick, horrible person. He had control of her every movement in that class and she hated, she DISPISED the fact she had to rely on Alejandro to help her.

“Just…leave me alone.” She muttered. 

He sighed and while a tinge in his heart told him to reach out for her, he didn’t. What was he meant to do? Try and comfort her? She’d never let him. She’d swear and carry on until she was able to flee. Heather was also nothing more to him than an associate, his rival at most. They were in this for their own personal gain.

Heather had managed to sneak out of school without any staff members noticing and flopped onto her bed, she was ready for the day to end. She closed her eyes and laid there, her mind wandering. Deep down though, a feeling of dread sat in her gut, unable to be shaken.

Bzzzzt. Bzzzzt. Bzzzzt.

Alejandro groaned but ignored the buzzing sound, despite the fact it had woken him up from his rather peaceful slumber. He rolled over and buried his head in the pillows to drown the noise out, but it persisted and persisted until he gave in. 

“Que?” He seethed out, not realising what language he was even speaking because it was literally two am.

“Alejandro! God, finally!” Heather practically shouted into the phone, her voice a little panicked.

“Heather?” he blinked.

Why would she be calling him at this time of night? 

“I need you to come over.” She told him, this time whispering her voice, “Right. Now.”

“Heather, it’s two am.” Alejandro retorted in a deadpan tone.

“I don’t care! I think someone is trying to break into my house!” She snapped at him, “Who the hell else am I meant to call!?”

Alejandro’s eyes shot open properly and now that he focused, she did sound panicked and her breathing was much choppier and faster than usual. She sounded scared and he’d never heard her sound like that before, so he had to do what he could to help her. 

“I’ll be there as soon as I can then.” He told her, “Just stay where you are, okay.”

“Okay.” Heather complied, she wasn’t going to argue with him in this sort of situation, after all.

He quickly pulled on a shirt and a jacket as the temperature was starting to get colder, then his shoes and quickly headed out the door. He was worried about her; he wouldn’t deny that. She could get hurt, or worse…no, he couldn’t think like that. He just had to help her – Heather wouldn’t have called him if it wasn’t serious to her. She sent her address to him via text and he made his way there, he didn’t even care if he woke any of his family members up when he left. He just needed to know she was okay.

“Heather?” He called her as soon as he parked in her driveway, attempting to deter the potential criminal.

“Jeez, you took long enough!” She snapped at him, “What if they’d gotten in!?”

“I wasn’t going to call you while I was driving.” He retorted.

“Yeah, yeah…” she grumbled, trying to stay calm, “Can you see anyone?”

“Not yet. I’m hanging up now, so they don’t hear me.” He told her, “I’ll call you if I find anything.”

“Promise?”

He was surprised how childlike she sounded, maybe this was just how she was when she was scared? She sounded genuinely vulnerable and Alejandro ignored the skip of his heart that he felt. 

“I promise.” He told her, only to hang up the phone a moment later.

Heather sat in her bed, her knees up to her chest as she just…waited. She never thought she’d freeze up like this. In her head, she’d convinced herself just who was wanting to get to her, and it made her sick. Alejandro had put a stop to his moves towards her, but she didn’t know how long that would deter him for. Would Alejandro even be able to fight him off it was him? Sure, he was strong, but this man was a grown adult – Heather just hoped her gut feeling was wrong.

Alejandro grimaced as he walked around the side of her large home – it wasn’t quite as big as his but still big. He stopped however when he heard a whispering voice, a girl’s voice. 

“You said your keys would work!”

“They must’ve changed the locks!” a male voice followed the girl. 

How would a burglar have a key? He moved as quietly as he could as the distant lights from the street showed him to shadowy figures rattling at the glass door that led from the home to the back patio and garden. The rattling at the door stopped and Alejandro realised they’d probably heard him.

Heather just heard a commotion; she didn’t know what the hell it was. She just hoped Alejandro was okay. When the noise stopped, she found herself out of bed and tiptoeing down to the back door where she heard the noises come from and flicked on the lights – hoping to fight Alejandro victorious over the person trying to rob her.

“Heather!” The male voice shouted, as Heather found Alejandro standing beside the two perpetrators with a rather unimpressed expression. 

She just…stopped. She stared at them for a moment. Then she almost screamed.

“Henry!?” She yelled back. 

It was her brother. Her stupid, older, meant to be away at a college halfway across the country, brother. She would admit though; she didn’t recognise the young woman beside him. 

“What the hell are you doing here?” She spat at him as she opened the door.

“Trying to get inside, obviously.” Henry retorted.

Alejandro just watched them for a moment, if he had to describe her brother, it would be that he looked just what she’d look like as a young man. He was tall and lean, his hair was short, black hair and his eyes matched her. His expressions were even similar. If Alejandro didn’t know better, he’d assume they were twins. 

“I mean, what the fuck are you doing here!?” Heather repeated, looking ready to pull her hair out.

“Oh, I dropped out of college. I’m moving back in. Don’t tell mom.” Henry told her. 

“What!?” Heather screamed, “Hell no you’re not moving back in here!”

Alejandro could tell this wasn’t going to end well, especially not at that time of night and the fact that Heather was already on edge due to what happened at school. Henry’s girlfriend at his side seemed to think the same as Alejandro, she was trying to quell the situation on her side. 

“How about you two discuss this in the morning?” Alejandro suggested, placing his hand upon Heather’s shoulder, “When you’ve both rested.”

“No way, he’s not moving back in here.” Heather grumbled, folding her arms. 

“What’s the big deal? It’s not like mom’s going to be back anytime soon.” Henry shot back, glaring at her. 

Heather’s eyes widened for a moment, but she quickly regained her composure, she wasn’t going to let him so easily have his way. However, she was tired, and her day was already long enough. She just wanted to sleep. 

“Whatever…I’m going to bed.” Heather huffed, stomping off once more.

Alejandro grimaced and followed after her but not before introducing himself to his brother – it would’ve been strange not too. He caught her door before she could slam it shut and ended up in her room.


	4. Alone Together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alejandro's alone in Heather's room and he has no idea how his night there is going to go.

Alejandro took a breath and kept his distance from her. He’d been in a girl’s rooms before, of course, but this was different. This was Heather. Her mood changes were erratic, and he didn’t quite know how she’d react to him even being in there – had she even realised he was there? She dropped onto her bed and made a grumbling noise, almost like a child. She laid on her side with her back to him, Alejandro considering his next move.

“Why are you following me again?” She asked, breaking the silence.

“You called me over here, you know.” He answered, taking a step closer.

“Then leave already.” She said.

“Fine, if that’s what you want.” He almost wanted to roll his eyes; he was rather over dealing with her mood now. 

He turned and his fingers curled around the doorknob, but he waited for a moment. He didn’t know why he was so hesitant to leave; he didn’t care for her in any other way than as a rival. Yet, there was something deep down in his gut that was screaming at him to stay. 

“Henry probably thinks you’re my boyfriend so if you’re not here in the morning, he’ll ask questions.” She said, not turning to look at him, “So…you can stay.”

Alejandro was still hesitant, but he made his way over to her bed and sat down, Heather never changing how she laid. He could just see her face; her eyes were closed but she was frowning. She definitely knew he was sat on her bed, but she never said a word about it. 

“Your brother is an interesting one.” Alejandro said, “He sure knows how to make an entrance.” 

“Yeah, right.” Heather grumbled, “He’s a complete idiot.”

She sounded tired but he could tell she was forcing herself to stay awake, especially now that he was in the same room as her. She even rolled over onto her other side to face him JUST so she could see what he was doing and absolutely no other reason. She was so on guard, and so was he, neither able to predict what the other person would do.

“Can you stop glaring at me?” he let out an annoyed sigh, “It’s making it hard for me to fall asleep.” 

“I don’t trust you not to try anything.” Heather retorted.

“Trust me, there’s not a bone in my body that wants to try anything with you.” Alejandro snapped back.

“Ugh, whatever…” She muttered back.

She huffed and curled up, her eyes slamming shut as she tried her best to ignore him. She didn’t want to remember he was there, she just wanted to sleep. It had been an utterly exhausting day and it needed to be over. He grimaced and got comfortable, not that he expected to even fall asleep – he was worried she’d shove him off. He glanced over at her every now and again, sometimes her eyes would be shut and other times she was awake and making sure he wasn’t moving or trying anything. 

“You’re tired, Heather. Just go to sleep.” He said. 

“I’m fine…not tired at all.” She replied, her words slurring a little due to how tired she was, “I’m just fine…”

He almost laughed; she fell asleep in the next five minutes. She slept soundly and he could hear her breathing finally relax. She was rather cute when she was sleeping, her expression was peaceful, and she curled up like a cat. He reached over and brushed a piece of hair from her face when he stopped, his fingers resting on her cheek. What was he doing? This was Heather. This relationship was entirely fake! He was only here to keep up appearances! He took a deep breath and turned onto his side, so his back was towards her, closing his eyes and allowing himself to fall asleep. 

Heather’s arm tightened around the pillow she was cuddling and snuggled into it, her eyes closed and a small smile forming on her lips. She was so warm, she felt so content and blissful in that moment. She wanted to stay there forever, it was so peaceful and for the first time in a long time, she felt safe. That was until she actually woke up and realised just what she was holding was not a pillow. She was curled up against Alejandro’s chest, his arm around her and the pair cuddled together. 

“Ugh!” She shoved him from the bed and woke him up quite abruptly, not allowing Alejandro the time to even process what had just happened.

He sat surprised, unsure of what happened for a moment. Heather sat on her bed; her legs pulled up to her chest as a way to protect herself from him. She was cuddling him just as much as he was her, but it wasn’t going to stop Heather from blaming him. Her face had flushed a bright red and her hand was shaking a little, she was clearly embarrassed. 

“I knew you’d try something!” She snapped at him, “I knew it! I knew you would!” 

“I was asleep!” Alejandro retorted, coming to his senses, “And you were cuddling me!” 

“As if!” Heather yelled, looking absolutely disgusted. 

“Stop yelling, you’re going to wake your brother up,” Alejandro said, rising to his feet and patting his hair down, “unless you want him to know we’re not actually dating. It sure would look suspicious to have a random boy stay overnight in your room.”

“Sh-Shut up…” Heather glared at him, keeping the covers pulled up so he couldn’t get a good look at her.

Alejandro stretched his arms and smiled triumphantly; he always did like beating her even if it was just with words. Heather grimaced and pushed the covers off her body, her feet touching the floor as she pushed herself off of her bed. Alejandro watched her for a moment just to see what she would do, but all she did was grab a jacket from her dresser and slide it over her shoulders.

“You can go now, I’m really not in the mood to listen to whatever Henry has to say about you.” Heather said, begin to push him towards the door, “and don’t you dare tell anyone that you stayed the night.”

“I know, I know,” Alejandro sighed, she really was such a pain sometimes.

She let him downstairs and he for the first time realised just how empty her home was. It was just her. All alone. In that huge, three-storey house. He didn’t know how long it had been that way either. It was like there was no life in the house, it was grey and there wasn’t much hanging on the walls – there was one cabinet with photos but that was it. The living room was dull and looked like no one had been it in for a while and the dining room looked just as untouched. It was just…so sad. 

Heather led him to the door and practically pushed him out of it, though he was a little surprised when she followed him out. She shut the door behind her and he guessed she was keeping up appearances by saying goodbye. 

“See you at school, try not to have any more related intruders.” Alejandro told her, baiting for a reaction.

“Oh, whatever.” Heather rolled her eyes and folded her arms.

He turned to leave but her fingers curled around his wrist and she stopped him, Alejandro facing her once more. Her usual grumpy expression was gone, and she looked more reserved, even uncomfortable. She let go of his hand and took a deep breath, preparing to say something.

“Thanks…” She said softly, dropping her gaze for a moment.

“Hm?” Alejandro blinked.

He just stared at her for a moment BUT he then realised she was trying to be somewhat heartfelt and he was not going to wreck that.

“For helping me…” She mumbled, “at school and last night, thank you.”

He simply smiled and took her hand, leaning in and pressing a kiss to her cheek. Her eyes widened in surprise and she didn’t know how to describe it, but her heart sang. She was taken by surprise, but he had his reasons. She’d never mentioned Duncan lived across the road from her, hell, neither had Duncan and the punk was watching them for that moment. 

“What was that for?” she scoffed, her cheeks flushing pink.

“You’re keeping things interesting, that’s all I’ll say.” He answered. 

Heather watched as Alejandro walked away and didn’t even move until he was gone, her eyes just keeping Duncan in her line of sight. She poked her tongue out at him as soon as the car was gone, and the boy just rolled his eyes. Heather had to watch Duncan; she couldn’t trust him. Out of everyone, he was the last person who was going to believe her relationship with Alejandro. 

Heather walked back inside to find her brother and the girl sitting at her breakfast bar, shovelling the once untouched cereal that was in the cupboard into his mouth. She just huffed and walked by him, a small smile forming on her lips when she was out of sight.

**Author's Note:**

> This was originally posted to Tumblr but thought I'd give it a shot on here too. Let me know what you think.


End file.
